Before I talk about this book I do need to give you a warning - this is Book One in a planned three book series and the first book ends with a cliff hanger which will leave you desperate for Book 2 which is published and available and then for Book 3 which is not out yet!
Faelan is different - he is a non-conformer in the wolf pack. He does not enjoy hunting for prey. He does not want to eat the forest creatures that are caught by the pack. He lives on his own in a small hut constructed from debris discarded by humans. He has a small vegetable plot, and he enjoys eating beans which he cooks on a small fire. The other wolves are suspicious of Faelan, they fear fire and so, many of the young wolves bully and ostracize him. Faelan is lonely but he has made friends with a skunk named Flora. Of course, this also horrifies the other wolves because they expect to eat creatures like Flora and not invite them to be a friend.
The pack is ruled by an old wolf named Bardolph Lupus but he is growing old and weak. To some extent Bardolph has protected Faelan, but his son and heir named Weylin has a plan to reverse this. Faelan has been told his father and mother are dead. He has a faint memory of his mother and her singing, but his father is a mystery. Then he learns his father is not dead. He was banished from the pack and is now rumored to be the leader of the rival pack. His father's name is Varg and he is very dangerous.
This book is only 172 pages. It does contain some interesting ideas - such as the issue of battery hens, conformity versus nonconformity and the abuse of power. The character of Weylin is especially curious and I expect we will learn more about him in book 2. He wears gloves:
"Weylin rose to his hind legs, smoothed down the white gloves he always wore on his forepaws ... "
When Faelan visits Weylin's den he sees Weylin (who always purports to be brave and 'manly') has decorated his space with flowers and art.
"Covering the entrance to this private chamber hung fine curtains of spider weave, again interlaced with flowers, this time tiny blue forget-me-nots, which were worked into the curtains in intricate patterns."
Here are the teachers notes from the publisher who describes this book as an anthropomorphic fantasy. These notes have more plot details.
If you are sharing this book with a class or introducing it in your library you could talk about the author's choices for character names: Avian (the chicken); Granny Beowulf (the healer who understands how to use herbs collected in the forest); and Flora (the skunk - she does not smell like flowers). I also learnt a new word in this book ‘mouflon' - this is a type of sheep which should make you laugh when you think about where this book comes from! Readers aged 10+ who enjoy quirky books told from a different point of view will enjoy Odd Wolf Out.
Odd Wolf Out is published by Scholastic in New Zealand. It was offered on our Australian Scholastic Book club brochure which explains how I came to find it in the Westmead Children's Hospital library (Book Bunker) where I volunteer. The library is a philanthropic cause supported by Scholastic Australia and that company are our main source of new books for the collection.
Here is book two:
Companion reads although these are both more serious and not anthropomorphic:
In some ways this book reminded me of this one:
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